Hakuren Oak
Hakuren Oak is a main character in the 07-Ghost anime and manga series. He is first introduced as Teito's roommate at the Church and his self-proclaimed rival for the Bishop's Apprentice Exam. After a rough start, Hakuren later becomes a close friend of Teito. Hakuren is a member of the very wealthy Oak family in District 2, but he chose to become a bishop rather than follow the Oak family's tradition to go into politics or the military. After passing the exam, he worked under Bishop Castor, but received a letter from his father asking him to return home to serve as a tutor to the princess. After realising the things that were covered up by the military, he decided to be the princess's tutor in order to let the voices of the weak be heard by the royal family. Appearance Physical appearance HakurenSketch2.png|Hakuren sketch. HakurenFace.png|Hakuren's expression. Hakuren appears as a fairly tall young boy of sixteen with a slender build, and who stands roughly at a height of 167 cm. He weighs 50 kg. His face is oval shaped, with a pointy chin and slender jaw, and his skin is a pale peach colour. His nose is long and thin, and he has a large mouth with full lips. Hakuren's most distinctive feature is his eyes, which are narrowed and purple in colour with long bottom eye-lashes that appear to be a trait in his family, as both Shuri and Wakaba possess them. His hair is blonde, usually kept in a loose ponytail held with silver, metal clasps, and reaches his mid-back. His bangs reach past his eyes but are parted on the left. He wears thin round glasses when reading, and his face is described as being 'pretty' (e.g. manga chapter 63) rather than handsome. Hakuren may be considered attractive within the series universe-while traveling with Ouka, Ouka's ladies-in-waiting admire the good condition of his hair and skin. Hakuren greatly resembles his mother and many other members of the Oak family, but bears little resemblance to his father. Hakuren also looks somewhat like Mikage Celestine, something Teito notes when they first meet. Clothing He is first seen in the Acolyte uniform which appears as a long, white robe down to the ankles, having two slits, going from the bottom of the robe to the hips, at each side of the body, and long, white sleeves with large, dark blue sleeve cuffs. Down the back of the robe is a criss-cross stitching like that of a corset with dark blue thread. A small, white poncho (mid-back length) with a high collar and dark blue round the edges is worn over the robe, and he wears his exam badge at the front of his collar. He wears dark blue trousers and knee-length brown boots. HakurenTattoo.png|Hakuren's tattoo. HakurenApprentice.png|Hakuren in a Bishop's apprentice uniform. Personality At first, Hakuren appeared to have a striking similarity to his younger cousin Shuri, as when he first met Teito, he taunted him in a way similar to how his cousin does and also seemed to possess a similar sense of pride (e.g. taunting Teito in the anime, "I don't know that nowadays even elementary school boys can participate in the bishop exam. Kiddy, where is your home? Let elder brother (me) take you home.") He also came across as vain, as in their first meeting he was shown to take pride in his appearance (with a mirror in his clothing) and proclaimed to Teito, "Beauty is such a curse" and "You are jealous of me because I am so gorgeous, aren't you?". Later, Hakuren shows a gentle and thoughtful side to his personality. Upon seeing Teito's sklave mark, he feels very guilty for calling Teito an "elemetary school boy" earlier, as he realizes that the other party probably hasn't even been sent to elementary school before, and apologises to him. After Teito saved him, he wanted to become his friend, to always protect him. Although he is kind, Hakuren occasionally seems to enjoy mocking people who annoy him, insulting Wade and Kyle during the bishop's apprentice exam even after he told Teito not to 'make a scene', undermining his cousin Shuri's intelligence, and initially calling Teito names such as 'kiddy' and 'pipsqueak'. Hakuren also will not hesitate to react with violence when fighting against enemies, as shown when he expressed a desire to beat Teito up when the two first met, and when he attacked Kuroyuri and Haruse without hesitation. Hakuren's reasons for wanting to become a Bishop are to help people and take revenge against his father. He expressed outrage upon hearing what the military (in which many members of his family serve) had covered up and was determined to let the voices of the common people be heard by the royalty. Although Hakuren has rebelled against the Oak family, and was hesitant to return to them, he was very offended when Teito insulted his family name by calling them 'spineless Oaks' and thought that he would have beaten the other party if they were not within the church. Hakuren is diplomatic. He is good at dealing with difficult people (e.g. one of Ouka's aunts in manga chapter 64). He also has a quick mind, is courageous, and does not lose his cool even when he is in a stressful situation, as shown by his performance in the bishop exams. He is strong-willed, as he is determined to achieve his dream even if it means being rejected by the Oak family. He is also gentle, as Frau has said that Hakuren sounds like a mother in his letter addressed to Teito. He is studious, as shown in the anime that he studies in the library and in his room at night, also in track 1 in the drama titled 『3月28日の出来事』, in which he says he doesn't want to offend Mikhail because if Mikhail kills him or destroys the world, he will not be able to study the day after or for ever. Hakuren dislikes women (except his mother and Razette) and feels ill around them, especially in enclosed areas, as shown when he went on a carriage ride with Ouka and her three ladies-in-waiting, and looked so ill that Ouka asked if he was carsick. This is the result of trauma when his father showed him dozens of albums of women to choose from to marry when he was young. Hakuren calls his condition 'joseiyoi'. However, despite his dislike of women, Hakuren is courteous to the few women he interacts with. Abilities and Attributes Hakuren has demonstrated a quick mind and a skill for long division and multiplication shown during the Bishop's exam.Kapitel 22: Hakuren quickly solves the difficult arithmetic question on the wall. Zaiphon Hakuren has shown exceptional skill with a Zaiphon, exhibiting precision and control that amazed those around him. Attacking Zaiphon: Hakuren has an attacking Zaiphon. Hand to hand combat Hakuren has demonstrated reasonably good athletic ability, and when in battle, his movements are quick and agile. Other Hakuren may possess some skill at cutting hair. He is shown cutting Teito's hair on the cover page of Kapitel 15. References Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Church members Category:Main characters Category:Protagonists Category:Human Category:Nobility Category:Alive Category:Zaiphon users Category:Apprentice bishops